MLB NOTEBOOK Rose finally pays federal tax debt

Pete Roses $151,689 federal tax debt from 1998 has been paid off, allowing the government to lift a lien on his Los Angeles condominium.

Associated Press

Published
12:00 am EDT, Thursday, August 14, 2003

The lien on Roses $1 million condominium was lifted July 10, but it took several weeks for the Los Angeles County Recorders Office to report the move.

David Stern, Roses accountant, said this year that the former Reds star wasnt attempting to avoid taxes in his 1998 return but simply couldnt pay the entire amount owed when he filed his return.

California lifted a lien in 2000 that it filed against Rose for failing to pay $2,772 in 1997 state taxes. Rose also served a federal prison sentence in 1990 for failing to report income.

BRADLEY TO HAVE MRI ON BACK

Cleveland center fielder Milton Bradley missed his fifth straight game with back spasms and was sent back to Cleveland to have an MRI exam.

The test will be done today.

"We want to see if it shows anything, and well go from there," manager Eric Wedge said before the Indians played the Twins.

UMPIRE LEAVES GAME WITH DEHYDRATION

Second-base umpire Chris Guccione left the Cardinals-Pirates game in the third inning because of dehydration.

Guccione appeared to become uncomfortable after the second inning, and a Pirates trainer took water to him. He left the field a half-inning later and was examined by a Pirates team doctor.

OWNERS AWAIT EXPOS DECISION

Two months to go in the season and baseball owners still dont know what to do with the Montreal Expos.

At their meeting in Boston, owners remained hopeful that they can make progress on the Expos by Labor Day.

"The longer we go, the harder it becomes," said Bob DuPuy, baseballs president and chief operating officer said after the first of two days of meetings. "But we have not given up the idea of a permanent solution for next year."

After the meetings were done for the day, DuPuy stumbled on the stairs at the Ritz Carlton Hotel and wrenched his right knee. He stayed on the stairs for several minutes, grimacing in pain, before he was taken by ambulance to St. Elizabeths Hospital.